LAMBERT SECOND IN SWEDEN

GREAT Britain’s Robert Lambert finished second in Saturday’s Grand Prix of Sweden in Malilla to consolidate third place in the overall standings.

Lambert was the outstanding rider on the night and raced to a 15-point maximum in the qualifying heats before being edged out by an inspired ride by Denmark’s Anders Thomsen in the Final.

The top two in the World Championship finished third and fourth on the night with Bartosz Zmarzlik ahead of Belle Vue captain Brady Kurtz, meaning the gap between them is now five points with four GPs remaining, with Lambert a further 12 points adrift.

Lambert said: “I wasn’t expecting to get a maximum throughout the whole meeting. It was nice to be straight through to the final because it’s the first time under the new format that I have been in that situation.

“It was a nice experience to be able to relax for a little while. But you are thinking a lot in that time – what to do in the final and which gate is the best option.

“Gates one and two were a 50/50 chance throughout the whole meeting and even in the Last Chance Qualifiers. It was a hard decision, but I did my best, and second place is still great for me.”